Admittedly, the stoner comedy is as vital to cinema as, say, Gary Oldman and John Woo-style shootouts. But this wacky “genre” doesn’t exist nearly as abundantly in comics. Yes, there’s some great stoner-centric tales (my faves are Bluntman and Chronic and The Secret History Of The War On Weed), but wouldn’t you like to see even more hazy hijinks play out on the comics page? If the answer is yes, then maybe it’s time you roll up Starweed.
The brainchild of writer Lex Wilson and Tony Gregori (who are joined by colorist Claudia Aguirre and letterer Lauren Norby), Starweed‘s premise is direct enough: “In a world of smoking the remains of dead celebrities…They heist corpses.” From there, we follow Digs and her crew as they try to make an honest (-ish?) living only to run afoul of certain intergalactic authorities. The Starweed team are currently crowdfunding the third and final issue, The End is High, that will also be released as part of the full three-issue edition. And while Starweed is truly top-notch stoner comedy, there’s layers (of story and genre) to this title that’ll hit you harder than even the strongest strains.
If you’d like to contribute to the Starweed Kickstarter campaign, head here. (The campaign runs through Saturday, October 5.) In addition to the various editions, there’s some great incentives and bonuses attached, like variant covers, stickers, and a “TTRPG Heist.” But to truly spark interest in the book, we fielded Wilson and Gregori some of our most burning questions. That includes the story’s development, the larger themes and messaging, where we’re at heading into issue #3, and even a possible future for the series. And, of course, we had to ask the only question that truly matters.
AIPT: Where did the idea for Starweed come from? Were edibles involved?
Lex Wilson: It started with a short story about a woman escaping a space prison in the worst possible way. I remember wanting to flesh it out into a longer story, but needing to create a new character to make it work. And then it was a matter of answering questions. What kind of criminal is she? How did she get caught? What do artists love to draw and why is the answer dinosaurs?
I was actually so limited in my exposure to cannabis and cannabis culture with the first draft, that it was only after working with Tony and talking to readers that I learned that the idea of smoking celebrities has come up every few years in popular culture. So a lot of that side of the fun comes from Tony.
Tony Gregori: Cannabis has been known to be part of my process from time to time.
AIPT: Has the response been what you’d expected for a book with an “inflatable, anatomically correct Clark Gable”? Has anything surprised you?
LW: It might be a weird book to categorize at a glance. The title might suggest Star Wars parody, but it’s not that. It has elements and moments of stoner comedy, but that’s probably not Starweed’s main genre. I remember wondering if those expectations might result in disappointment. While no comic or joke is for everyone, I’m grateful that readers have taken it for what it is.
My team surprised me. Like all the time. Tony with the thousands of little choices he makes on each page. Claudia’s colors which are sometimes trippy and sometimes understated but always clear and coherent. And there are a few amazing lettering decisions that Lauren made that I’ve never seen before in a comic.
TG: I think the TCM-heads would love Starweed. To that end, maybe the sequel can have a Gregory Peck sexbot?
AIPT: How much of this book is about or against parasocial relationships with celebrities? I think it’s been a huge discussion as of late.
LW: Almost none! We developed this between other projects and jobs, and that wasn’t even near the top of the zeitgeist when I was writing the script. But that’s the kind of thing that makes this world and these characters fun to play with. So many aspects of celebrity and cannabis culture we could explore in the subtext, even when the focus is this action comedy romp across the solar system.
AIPT: Similarly, the U.S. conversation about drugs has softened as of late. Is this story only possible because of that or is it that same vein of thought/conversation?
LW: I don’t know that it was a factor. We talked about how we might balance “drugs can be fun” with “drugs can be harmful” with “criminalization can definitely be harmful.” But that was more about being true to ourselves and creating work with integrity even when we’re at our most silly. Because, while “comics can be fun,” we don’t want our “comics to be harmful!”
GW: Stoner/drug comedies and stories have been around for a long time, thinking of the hippie influenced films and shows from the ’60s and comedy acts like Cheech and Chong, so I don’t know if we’re treading any new water in that regard. I personally think using a ubiquitous term like “drugs: to describe and lump substances together that cause varying degrees of intoxication and dependence, to be more harmful than any comics we could make. I’d much rather my loved one be a regular cannabis user than to be hooked on more socially acceptable substances like sugar and fast food.
AIPT: What can you tease about the events in the more recent issue #3?
LW: Starweed #3 is the revenge portion of our tale. Our protagonist Digs – who we’ve established is a bit of a control freak and never partakes in Starweed herself – has escaped space prison and a dinosaur planet. And in order to not starve on the journey back to Earth, she’s had to consume a cargo ship full of edibles. So. She has kicked butt all over the solar system. Now we get to see her kick butt on Starweed.
TG: And more dinosaurs!
AIPT: How much of this book’s success do you contribute to Kickstarter? I feel like (stupidly enough) it may have been a hard sell at some other places.
LW: I don’t know. Maybe I’m too close to it, but I think the hardest sell is us as non-famous creators, in a world where overworked editors/publishers don’t have enough time to be open to queries from strangers. It’s hard to imagine that we as comic creators can do a better job selling a book than a professional sales team (he says, while trying to figure out Facebook Ads). That said, connecting directly with readers definitely has its perks, and my favorite part of Kickstartering is seeing familiar names jump in and be thrilled to finish this journey with us.
TG: Crowdfunding fuels indie comics, and Starweed is as indie as it gets!
AIPT: How has your relationship with the story evolved over the course of its creation? And what about your collaboration with one another?
LW: Trust. Not only trusting each other, but trusting the process. Like I came to Tony with a full script, but that doesn’t mean it was fully formed. A script is like a series of conversation topics. If you already know where the conversation is going, then it’s not a conversation. It’s a lecture.
TG: I can remember when Alex first sent me the script to #1, it was around summer 2017 or 2018, I was at the laundromat waiting for my towels to dry. I read it and thought it was hilarious and creative, and couldn’t wait to get started drawing it. Fast forward to now and I can do my laundry at my house, and the final issue is in the process of being crowdfunded. Life finds a way.
AIPT: Do you have a fave moment from the story? One that speaks volumes about Starweed?
LW: I still really dig the “self destruct phrase” sequence in Starweed #1. The humor, the action, the pacing, the body language, everything… It’s a good example of trusting your collaborators. We didn’t need to do much to set up these jokes or these character moments because the visual, sequential storytelling was firing on all cylinders.
TG: I kind of love it all but there’s a sequence in #3 with digs and the main antagonist of that issue, that I really adore.
LW: Oh yeah, “the mural.”
AIPT: Could we see more from Starweed beyond the three issues? What might that look like?
LW: Don’t ask us, ask an overworked editor/publisher! But like you suggested, there’s so much with cannabis and celebrity that we could explore this world. We might take it to some really dark places and see if we can still find the fun.
TG: Never say never! I love working with Alex and drawing these characters, like he said there’s still so much for us to explore and if the opportunity was there i’d jump at it.
AIPT: I have to ask: if you could smoke a celeb, who would it be and why?
LW: I’m going to give such a square answer. I wouldn’t hate smoke anybody, I don’t think. And smoking someone can feel like a sign of respect or disrespect. So I think I’d want to be able to trust that there was consent or even encouragement involved on the part of the deceased. Assuming all that’s in place… maybe Kurt Vonnegut?
TG: I get dibs on that Vonnegut Kush.
LW: Kush Vonnegut Jr. How about you, Chris?
AIPT: That’d be “Sour Vin Diesel.”
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